Criminal Justice Colleges: New York

Criminal justice is a huge career field that includes all of those who dedicate themselves to apprehending, prosecuting, defending, rehabilitating, and detaining those who have broken the law. Throughout the United States, there are many institutions devoted to training interested students to become effective workers and researchers in the criminal justice system. Some of the best criminal justice programs and institutions are located in the state of New York.

Advantages of a Criminal Justice Education in New York

There are many reasons why students interested in criminal justice should consider training at one of the many criminal justice schools in New York. In the first place, the sheer size of New York State makes it an excellent place to study the subject of criminal justice. As far as population, New York is the third largest state in the U.S.A. Furthermore, New York State is home to New York City, which is the fourth most populous state in the entire world. The size of the state means that those who work in criminal justice there have experience working with crime and criminals that criminal justice professionals in other states may not share. When it comes to criminal justice schools, New York often offers better training than other states because of the sheer amount of practical experience in the field that professionals in the state possess.

The concentration of state and federal resources in New York State also gives criminal justice colleges in New York an advantage in training men and women to work in the field of criminal justice. Such resources often allow New York criminal justice schools to provide practical internships, financial aid, and other helpful assistance to its students.

Who Can Attend Criminal Justice Colleges in New York?

Because the state has many Internet-based programs and online criminal justice schools, New York students, as well as students who live in other states, can attend classes and earn a degree from a New York institution. These online programs and schools offer the same quality education as a traditional college or university as long as they have received the proper accreditation. In the state of New York, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education is the major accrediting body for schools that offer criminal justice programs. Many vocational criminal justice schools are accredited by the Middle States Association Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools. Schools that have been accredited by these bodies, or one of the other major recognized accrediting commissions, have proven that they offer a quality New York criminal justice education. Students can therefore trust that they will receive an excellent education when they attend one of the many accredited criminal justice schools in New York.

Different criminal justice careers require different types of training. A police officer, for example, may only need a high school diploma or GED and training at the police academy. Others will need a four-year degree in criminal justice, particularly if they plan on working in advanced criminal justice administration. Still others, such as lawyers or scholars, need a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and even a doctoral degree in order to hold the position of their choice.

In any case, the basic degrees offered by criminal justice colleges in New York are the Associate of Science in Criminal Justice degree and the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree. The associate’s degree is typically awarded after two years of study, while the bachelor’s degree requires four years of education. Sometimes, students can complete their criminal justice degree program in less time when they take more credits each semester than are required for full-time status or when they enroll in an online program.

Both degrees offered by criminal justice schools in New York require both a full load of general knowledge courses, the so-called “core curriculum” that every student in every discipline must complete. Students then go on to major in criminal justice. In both cases, students learn about the history and theory of criminal justice. Sometimes, students concentrate their criminal justice studies in a particular area. Either way, as far as criminal justice schools, New York students in the two-year program take fewer courses in criminal justice than four-year students. Those who want the broadest possible base of education in criminal justice, then, will probably want to take the bachelor’s degree in the subject.

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